Christmas Puffballs, a Simple Paper Craft, from Family Christmas Online^TM

This page contains directions for making small, round paper "balloon" that you fill with air to inflate. The final result is a hollow paper ball that you can easily hang on your Christmas tree as a decoration. For a traditional look, try this with printouts from our Christmas Craft Wrapping Paper page.

About Permissions - These instructions are for your personal use. You can also print multiple copies for a children's or seniors project, say at home, school, Sunday school, or the Senior Citizens center. You may also link to any page on our site (as long as it isn't "framed" with your page. ) On the other hand, you may not sell these sheets or publish these patterns in any form, on paper, or on the web. Please contact me if you have any questions about permissions or usage.

Christmas Puffball Instructions

Once you've selected the paper you want to use:

1.	Make a diagonal fold in the paper. Keep the pattern on the outside.
2.	If the paper isn't square, part of it will stick out. Cut that out so that the paper is square.
3.	Fold the paper diagonally the other way (bring the two tips together that were not touching before.) Keep the pattern on the outside.
4.	Open the paper up again and bring two of the opposite edges together.
5.	Bring the edges in until they meet in the middle and begin folding the long sides down.
6.	Crease the paper so that it lies flat.
7.	Fold one of the sharp corners down until it meets the 90degree corner.
8.	Fold down the other corner that is facing you.
9.	Turn the paper over and fold down the third sharp corner.
10.	Fold the last sharp corner down.
11.	The paper now has a dividing line up the middle on both sides. Begin folding corners toward the dividing line.
12.	Fold the next corner over. Each corner makes a sort of little "flap" when it is folded in.
13.	Turn the paper over and fold the other two corners in.
14.	One of the pointed ends has four small, sharp corners folded together around a larger piece. You'll notice that each of the small flaps you just made has a sort of pocket facing that end of your project.
15.	Fold one of the little sharp corners down into the pocket in the closest flap.
16.	When it is inserted as far as it can go without forcing, it will still stick out a little. That's the way it is supposed to be.
17.	Fold down the other three sharp corners and insert them into the pockets the same way.
18.	When all of the sharp corners have been tucked into the little pockets, find the end of the project that has a hole in it.
19.	Blow gently but firmly into the hole. If you've done it right, your project will puff up like a little ball.

Now get a needle and some brightly colored thread, poke a hole in the puffball, pull the thread through, then tie the thread into a big loop you can use to hang the puffball from a Christmas tree.

We Need Your Feedback

We hope to have a few more simple paper craft patterns soon. So keep checking back. And contact us with any questions or suggestions you have in the meantime. Especially contact us if you have any craft ideas you'd like to share with our readers.

Paul and Shelia Race

www.familychristmasonline.com